Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Announcing More Steps To Try And Lower Gas Prices, Including The Next Oil Release From Reserve

President Joe Biden on Wednesday will announce a series of steps that, administration officials say, will address the oil supply crunch and lower gas prices, which have become a major domestic concern ahead of the November midterms.

ABC News previously reported that among those moves, Biden will confirm his administration is releasing 15 million barrels of oil from the nation's stockpile -- known as the strategic petroleum reserve -- in December.

Officials said this isn't a new tranche but rather the final 15 million barrels from the 180 million that Biden pledged this spring to release over six months.

In addition, officials told reporters on Tuesday as they previewed the announcement, the administration will take the unusual step of planning to buy oil to rebuild the strategic reserve once crude hits between $67 and $72 per barrel.

‘Troubled Marriage’: Oil Spat Unlikely To Break US-Saudi Ties

Despite growing anger in Washington and US President Joe Biden’s threat that Saudi Arabia will face “consequences” over oil production cuts, analysts say a fundamental change in relations between the United States and the Gulf kingdom is unlikely.

The furore over a recently announced oil output reduction is the latest display of tensions between the two allies, whose ties have endured a series of setbacks in recent years.

“I don’t think we’re likely to see a divorce proceeding from this sort of troubled marriage,” said Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a US-based think tank. “But I do imagine that we may continue to see more discontent from both the Americans and the Saudis, and just this question of ‘Why do we continue to take this from this country that calls itself our partner?'”

'What Are They Hiding?': Group Sues Biden And National Archives Over JFK Assassination Records

The country's largest online source of JFK assassination records is suing President Joe Biden and the National Archives to force the federal government to release all remaining documents related to the most mysterious murder of a U.S. president nearly 60 years ago.

The Mary Ferrell Foundation filed the federal lawsuit Wednesday one year after Biden issued a memo postponing the release of a final trove of 16,000 records assembled under the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which Congress passed without opposition in response to Oliver Stone's Oscar-nominated film “JFK.”

The JFK records act, signed by former President Bill Clinton, required that the documents be made public by Oct. 26, 2017, but President Donald Trump delayed the release and kicked the can to Biden, who critics say continued the policy of federal obfuscation that has existed since Kennedy was assassinated Nov. 22, 1963, in an open motorcade at Dealey Plaza in Dallas.

Remote Work May Have Fueled A Baby Boom Among U.S. Women

Remote work likely contributed to a mini-baby boom in 2021 among women in the U.S. — a reversal of a years-long decline in the birth rate, according to a working paper published by three economists this week.

It's surprising. Economists predicted a crash in birth rates at the outset of the pandemic. The quick economic recovery and the rise of remote work may have changed the trajectory, the authors say.

• The findings suggest that workplace flexibility might be one solution to the long-term issue of falling birth rates — a possible driver of declining economic growth — seen across richer countries.
• "It's the first recession where we actually see birth rates go up," said Hannes Schwandt, a professor at Northwestern University, who coauthored the paper with Martha Bailey of UCLA and Janet Currie of Princeton.

The CDC released preliminary data on 2021 birth rates earlier this year and found a small increase, but the researchers of the new paper dug deeper.

Five Hours' Sleep Is Tipping Point For Bad Health

At least five hours sleep a night may cut the over-50s' chances of multiple chronic health problems, researchers say. Ill health can disrupt sleep - but poor sleep may also be a forewarning or a risk itself, they say.

There is evidence sleep helps restore, rest and rejuvenate the body and mind - but why the "golden slumber number" might matter remains unclear.

The PLoS Medicine study tracked the health and sleep of UK civil servants. All of the about 8,000 participants were asked: How many hours of sleep do you have on an average weeknight?" Some also wore a wrist-watch sleep tracker.

Wisconsin Headlines

Democrats Hit Sen. Ron Johnson On Jan. 6 Remarks In New Wisconsin Senate Ad

Democrats are ramping up their attacks on Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin over his remarks downplaying the Jan. 6 riot with a new TV ad in the homestretch of the pivotal Senate race.

The 30-second ad, first shared with NBC News, will hit airwaves in the battleground state Wednesday. It features a former Madison police officer narrating video that shows violent clashes around the U.S. Capitol during last year’s insurrection.

“I’ll never forget Jan. 6th, watching my fellow law enforcement officers defending the Capitol,” retired Police Capt. George Silverwood says in the ad. “And then, five officers died. But Ron Johnson is making excuses for rioters who tried to overthrow our government, even calling them ‘peaceful protests.’”

Wisconsin Republican Michels: ‘I Will Never Arrest A Doctor’

The Republican running for governor in Wisconsin suggested Tuesday that he did not support enforcing the swing state’s near-total ban on abortions, saying “I will never arrest a doctor” before his campaign walked back his comment.

Tim Michels is locked in a tight race with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and abortion has been a major issue. Michels, who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump, said in the Republican primary that he backed a state law dating to 1849 that makes it a felony for doctors to perform nearly all abortions.

But last month Michels had changed course and said he would sign a bill granting exceptions in cases of rape and incest. He repeated that position Tuesday during a Q&A at the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, but went a step further.

“I will never arrest a doctor, as they’re saying,” Michels said. “I’m a reasonable guy.”

Arizona Man Sentenced To 16 Years For Methamphetamine Trafficking & Money Laundering

Levi Bagne, 31, Buckeye, Arizona, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 16 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and money laundering.  Bagne pleaded guilty to these charges on May 24, 2022.

The government’s investigation revealed that Bagne was the undisputed leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for bringing over 20 pounds of methamphetamine into central Wisconsin from Arizona.  As a result of his lucrative operation, Bagne used drug funds to make mortgage payments on his house, buy a trailer, ATVs, and a motorcycle, as well as build a swimming pool.

On November 12, 2019, and again on February 15, 2020, Bagne and co-defendant Krista Sparks mailed packages containing methamphetamine from Arizona to co-defendant Cory Freyermuth’s residence in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The packages were seized by law enforcement and subsequent searches of the packages revealed a total of six pounds of methamphetamine.

On September 2, 2020, agents executed a search warrant on a storage unit belonging to Bagne and Freyermuth in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. During the search, agents recovered 10 pounds of methamphetamine.

Darrell Brooks Removed From Court In Day 12 Of Trial

The state still has yet to rest its case in the trial of Darrell Brooks, the man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more in the Waukesha Christmas Parade.

On Tuesday, the state began by calling back Waukesha Police Detective Jay Carpenter. He interrogated Brooks for hours the day after the parade attack.

During the interrogation, Carpenter presented Brooks with images he believes show Brooks behind the wheel of the red SUV. He also asked Brooks to watch video of the SUV striking people. Brooks refused to look.

Deadline To Register To Vote Online And By Mail In Wisconsin

Wednesday is the deadline to register to vote online or by mail in Wisconsin. According to My Vote Wisconsin, Oct. 19 is the last day you can send in your voter registration form by mail, along with proof of residence. It must be postmarked to your municipal clerk.

If you're looking to register online, you must be able to match your name, date of birth, Wisconsin Driver License or State ID number, and address with the Wisconsin DMV.

Wisconsin voters can still register to vote in-person at your polling place on Nov. 8. from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.